University of Texas student Jonathan Hernandez, center, 21, marches in an immigration rights rally on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2013. The rally was organized in reaction to the student group Young Conservatives of Texas "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game" that was canceled due to public outrage. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner) AUSTIN CHRONICLE OUT, COMMUNITY IMPACT OUT, MAGS OUT; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM

I am Latina; a Guatemalan-Salvadoran, first-generation American to be exact. I vote and so do many parents and grandparents. It matters to us how our public servants treat immigrants. In Texas, our voices were often stifled and pushed away by politicians whose only objective was winning the next election. Stunts, such as the "Catch an Illegal Immigrant" game that was planned by the University of Texas at Austin chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas, would have raised eyebrows, hit the front pages and be quickly forgotten. Finally, in the 2014 elections, Latinos will not be ignored.

In 2012, Latinos made up 38.8 percent of registered voters in Texas, with an approximate potential for more than 2.1 million additional voters in 2014. With the recent push to register and get out the vote by Democrats, Latinos will make up a large amount of the Texas voter pool. If the Republican Party continues to dehumanize and alienate Latinos, conservatives will ensure a blue state for many years to come.

Republicans can no longer paint Latino immigrants as lazy, law-breaking "illegal aliens," taking away the livelihood of real deserving Americans. The reality is the estimated 11.7 million undocumented persons in the U.S. have stories and families that are similar to our own and they are the embodiment of the American dream.

Undocumented workers come to this country seeking refuge from abuse, neglect, exploitation, civil war, the drug trade and poverty. Their journeys to America are long and tumultuous, traveling several days from their home countries - these days, mainly from Central America - on foot, jumping on top of moving trains, going without water, food and shelter. Once here, they fill low-skill, low-wage and unwanted jobs. Undocumented immigrants, contrary to common beliefs, receive minimal to no resources while still paying taxes. Once in the United States, they face an arduous bureaucratic immigration system that is disjointed at best and harmful at worst. They cannot return to their home countries, but they do not feel welcome in the U.S.

Latino voters identify with the struggle of the undocumented worker. To many Latinos, the dehumanization of undocumented workers is impossible. The faces many Latinos see when conservatives call for the deportation of "illegals" are their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends.

In a recent 2013 national survey by Latino Decisions, an opinion research firm, 58 percent of Latino voters rated immigration reform as their most important political issue and 63 percent stated they would most likely vote for a Democrat in the 2014 election. Latinos are watching closely and are turning out to vote in larger percentages each year. With each jab conservatives take at the expense of immigrants they further emphasize to Latino voters that it is time for a change in Texas. It is no longer enough for the Republican Party to embrace out-of-touch token Latino politicians. They must take our policy priorities seriously.

For the first time in decades, my grandmother will cast her ballot with the real possibility of her vote truly counting. Latinos are one of the major determining factors in the 2014 Texas elections and our voices can no longer be disregarded. We will not stand for derogatory name-calling, discriminatory policies, or a disengaged, uneducated Legislature. Latinos will vote for public servants who believe in the inherent value of every individual and for those who will stand for our priorities and principles.

As of today, the Republican Party is far from convincing Latinos that they stand for and with us. Without a sudden change of heart and mind conservatives on all levels of government will easily give away the Lone Star State to the Democratic Party.